Alappuzha – Rickshaw Challenge

God's Own Country: Photos of Kerala

David — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 21:56:47 +0000

Our favourite photos of God’s Own Country, Kerala.

Kerala, the slender state on South-India’s South-Western Malabar Coast, is known as God’s Own Country. We can’t dispute the nickname: though small, the Kerala is home to heavenly nature and incredible variety. On events like the Malabar Rampage, we marvel at Kerala’s coastline, forested hills, and canals. Here are some of our favourite photos of Kerala and its citizens.

Backwaters

Photo by Vinoth Chandar

The Kerala backwaters are connection series of canals, rivers, lakes, and lagoons. This photo, taken in Allapuzah, the so-called “Venice of the East”, we see a local slowly navigating the tranquil waters.

Boathouses

Photo by Sarath Kuchi

The backwaters are lined with boathouses, which are the ideal place to stay for a night in Kerala, or just for a brief tour. This peaceful photo was taken in Kumarakom.

Snacks

Photo by Vinoth Chandar

India is all about food, and Kerala is no different. Though there are many traditional dishes that should be triedstat, you can’t beat “Uncle John’s” ice cream stand on Alappuzha beach.

Tradition

Photo by Sarath Kuchi

This photo, taken in Wayanad district in the North-East of the state, shows the gentle pace of life for many.

Space and Time

Photo by Nagesh Jayaraman

Many visitors seek out Kerala for the peace and quiet of its countryside. It’s hard to look at this photo, taken in Poovar, and not feel immediately relaxed.

Chinese Nets

Kerala is famous for its trading history, with many centuries of connections with places all over the world. One relic of this history is Kochi’s collection of ancient Chinese fishing nets.

Fisherman

Photo by David Baxendale

We love this shot of a local fisherman in Kochi at the end of a hard day’s work.

Beaches

Kerala is not without its share of glorious beaches. It may not share the fame of Goa’s golden sands, but this just means you’re more likely to find an empty cove.

Rolling Hills

Photo by Sarath Kuchi

One final aspect of Kerala’s diverse nature are its many rolling hills, most famously the Western Ghats. Many hillsides are covered in bright green tea. This photo was taken further North, at Chembra Peaks in Wayanad.

Dramatic Weather

Photo by Vinoth Chandar

Watch out during monsoon season. You might get soaked, or you could get a fantastic photograph!

Are you crazy enough to come along for the ride? Then join us on the next Rickshaw Challenge. Get a team together and let’s see you at the starting line! If you want to join us in spirit, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagramto keep up with our latest antics.

Allapuzha: Kerala's Venice of the East?

David — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 15:23:44 +0000

First compared to the famous city of canals over a century ago, Kerala’s Venice of the East is still worth a visit today.

In the early 20th Century, the governor-general and viceroy of India George Nathaniel Curzon dubbed Alappuzha, at that point known as Alleppey, the “Venice of the East”, remarking that “Here nature has spent up on the land her richest bounties.” Generous praise, but does it still ring true? Let’s consider the similarities and differences of the two canal-strewn cities. And perhaps if Alppuzha isn’t really Kerala’s Venice of the East might it be… better?

Similarity #1: Canals (Obviously)

Photo’s by Vimaljoseph93

It won’t come as a surprise that Curzon’s comparison with Venice was prompted by Alappuzha having many canals, which connect the city to the wonderful Kerala backwaters. There’s no denying both cities are well served by narrow waterways, but they aren’t exactly similar in form. The canals of Venice weave through tightly-packed lanes of grand houses, are crossed by impressive stone bridges, and populated by bombastic gondaliers standing on their unique narrow canoe-like rowing boats. The canals of Kerala are considerably more relaxed, lined with trees and traversed by their famous houseboats. Though it doesn’t have Alappuzha’s natural charm, Suzhou in Eastern China is a far closer aesthetic match to Venice…

Similarity #2: Busy Busy Busy

Photo by Rept0n1x

Okay, canals aren’t the only the similarity which might prompt one to describe Alappuzha as Kerala’s Venice of the East. Both cities are very busy, especially in the center. Venice has long had a reputation for an its crush of tourists in popular sights like St Marks Square, so much so that the city may soon charge for access to prime locations. Alappuzha is not quite at that level, but its city centre does bustle with chaotic activity, like few places in the state of Kerala.

Similarity #3: Religious Sites

Photo by Ajeshunnithan

One final similarity between the real Venice and Kerala’s Venice of the East is an abundance of religious sites. Venice is, of course, famous for its stunning churches, from the grand Saint Mark’s Basilica to many smaller chapels dotted around the lagoon. Similarly, the temples of Alappuzha are highly recommended. Unlike much of Kerala, where non-Hindus are not permitted to enter the premises of temples, anyone is welcome of many of the most interesting of Alappuzha’s places of worship and even festivals.

Difference #1: Well, They are Very Different (Obviously)

Photo by Saad Faruque

Enough of the similarities. Despite the canals, Venice and Alappuzha are incredible different. While, like Venice, Kerala has been at the heart of global trading routes for centuries, the delicious spicy cuisine of the state may come as a pleasant surprise… unlike pizza and pasta. Another benefit of Kerala’s Venice of the East is the weather: while Northern Italy is quite chilly for much of the year, Alappuzha remains consistently warm all year; just avoid the seasonal monsoons! But that’s not the biggest difference…

Difference #2: In Alappuzha You Can Actually Relax

While the jewel of the Adriatic is one of the most visit sites in the world, Alapuzzha is far more of an undiscovered gem. The crush of tourists can make Venice almost impossible to enjoy, although the commotion on the canals can be fun for a while. However, just a short trip out of Alappuzha’s centre and you can reach a mesmerising paradise and floating towards Kerala’s backwaters is like descending into a dream of peaceful beauty. This is India at its best, and while it’s not Venice, it’s wonderful in its own right.

Don’t take our word for it though, you should see Kerala’s “Venice of the East” for yourself! The best way to visit Alappuzha is to join the Malabar Rampage 2017 rickshaw adventure. The minimal assistance rally travels from Trivandrum to Panaji, in a week of discovery, laughs, and over 1000km! You’ll explore the incredible food, scenery, and culture, that make South India so special.

The Cleanest City in India: Alappuzha

veronika — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 12:07:49 +0000

Although recently, the central government published a list on the most pristine cities in the country, this time, there is a new contender for the cleanest city in India: Alappuzha.
The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, or the Clean India Mission convenes every year to choose the cleanest and dirtiest cities in India. This year, they gave out a list naming Mysuru (Karnataka,) Chandigarh and Tiruchirapalli (both in Tamil Nadu) as the most pristine cities. Although last year’s survey was done with almost 500 cities, this year, they stuck to a total of 73, in order to avoid unfair comparisons. The ranks were given regarding a number of things, such as solid waste-, septage-, waste water management, the quality of drinking water and the number of fatal incidents due to water-borne illnesses.

The Amazing Backwaters. Photo Credit: Vinoth Chandar

The new survey, conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi says that in reality, India’s cleanest city is Alappuzha in Kerala, followed by Panaji (in Goa) and Mysuru. The methodology that the CSE used involved nominations from different environmentalists and locals. They pinpointed cities in India that they thought managed garbage disposal well. The CSE then visited the cities to check out the situation for themselves.
So why did they choose these three cities? Well, Alappuzha is a favoured tourist destination because of its attractive natural features, such as canals, amazing backwaters and beaches and lagoons that take your breath away. It is due to these wonders that contesters of the Rickshaw Challenge usually stop here; this city is definitely worth checking out. In the recent years, Alappuzha managed to up its waste segregation to a hundred percent in more than half of the cities’ wards and almost 80% of its households use composting systems and bio-gas as a means of generating power.

Panaji is a charming city – and tourists think so, too. It is due to the vast amount of travellers that waste management became somewhat of a challenge more than ten years ago. In response, the city came up with a program to solve the issue, mostly focusing on Municipal Solid Waste. During this initiative, all bins were disposed of, and waste was collected by a system that sent trash men from door to door. They also came up with a colour-coded waste segregation system which has proven to be highly effective over the years.

Charming Little City. Photo Credit: Ramnath Bhat

The problems of the third cleanest city according to the CSE, Mysuru, came with the rise of the population. After realizing that a staggering amount of waste was generated by the increasing numbers of citizens, the municipality quickly laid out a plan to manage waste effectively and in a manner that was environmentally friendly. They too started the conversion to door-to-door collection of waste and came up with an effective way to recycle garbage.

The Clean Mysuru. Photo Credit: Vasanth Mohan

The waste management plans of these cities are an example worth following, especially with the ever-growing population and the fact that, well, tourists cannot get enough of India and just keep travelling there.